Citation

Early DM, Iruka IU, Ritchie S, Barbarin OA, Winn DMC, Crawford GM, Frome PM, Clifford RM, Burchinal M, Howes C, Bryant DM, Pianta RC. Early Child Res. Q. 2010; 25(2): 177-193.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.10.003

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The current paper considers how children spend their time in state-funded pre-kindergarten programs and how time use relates to ethnicity, gender, and family income, based on the assumption that how time is spent in pre-kindergarten is relevant for the programs' success in narrowing achievement gaps. Classroom observations of 2061 children in 652 pre-k programs in 11 states were analyzed. Findings indicated that the pre-kindergarten day was roughly equally divided among free choice, teacher-assigned activities, and meals/routines. Children spent much of their time in language/literacy, social studies, and art, and less time in math and gross motor activities. Much of the pre-k day was spent in 'no coded learning activity.' Children in classes with lower proportions of Latino and African American children and higher average income-to-need ratios were generally engaged in richer and more stimulating experiences. The child-level variables of ethnicity and income were generally unrelated to how children spent their time, above and beyond the effects of classroom-level ethnicity and income. There were generally small, but significant gender differences - always in the gender-stereotyped direction - in how time was spent, especially during free choice time.